Gas fired fireplaces are well known in the art. The available art is generally focused on providing means for cooking, either indoors or outdoors. The prior art provides devices that a user can use to enhance or augment an existing gas barbecue or to provide a "stand alone" cooking device. Other devices provide portable wood burning firepits.
Representative of the art is:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,087 (1995) to Jean discloses a gas burner mounted in the base of a surrounding bowl with an encircling open wire stand for a cooking utensil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,317 (1993) to James discloses an auxiliary burner unit for mounting on a shelf of a barbecue grill cart or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,223 (1992) to Gonzalez discloses a portable wood-burning fire pit apparatus which includes a fire bowl base, a cylindrical wood receiving chamber, a pair of separately controlled gas rings encircling the chamber, a propane gas tank releasably connected to the apparatus and gas rings via a flexible hose and manual quick-release coupling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,683 (1990) to Larsen et al. discloses a system which includes a method and apparatus which facilitates the use of Dutch ovens combined with a charcoal heating source in outdoor cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,962 (1988) to Mashburn et al. discloses a barbecue apparatus having its components coaxially disposed on a flanged base supported from a cantilevered arm anchored to a support tube or the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,020 (1987) to Hahn discloses an improved gas cooker of the type having a housing, a burner supported in the housing, and a fixture for supplying gas to the burner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,524 (1985) to Wheat et al. discloses a portable, compact, gas-fired cooking and barbecuing device for frying and boiling food in conventional cooking utensils or barbecuing food when a barbecuing attachment is utilized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,142 (1978) to Barson et al. discloses a portable barbecue having demountable components including a support structure, a bas burner, a flat or domed hot plate above the burner mounted on the support structure, the hot plate having a plurality of peripheral apertures draining cooking liquids from the hot plate into an annular receptacle therebeneath.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,410,261 (1968) to Cooper et al. discloses a charcoal grilling apparatus consisting of a container for holding heated fuel with a grill supported thereover and support means extending below the container which includes an ignition device in the form of a canister of flammable gas.
What is needed is a portable fireplace that can be used in lieu of a natural wood fire in a firepit. What is needed is a portable fireplace having a windscreen that can be used in windy conditions. What is needed is a portable fireplace that can use a wide range of available fuel gas sources. What is needed is a portable fireplace that has a fluid containing burner to provide the visual effect of flames emerging from a fluid surface. What is needed is a portable fireplace that has a quick-connect to a fuel gas source. What is needed is a portable fireplace that provides a sparkless flame. The present invention meets these needs.